“Captain Murdoch Holmes!” it cried.
“Dougie!” he said in amazement as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, then smiled with delight. “What are ye doin’ here?”
Dougie grinned. “Came tae see how ye were farin’,” he answered. He looked around at the pale faces around him, then back at his friend. “No’ sae good, it seems.”
“The laird has not given us food or drink since we arrived here,” Murdoch informed him.
Dougie looked shocked for a moment, then smiled. “I will fix that,” he said. Then he looked puzzled. “Why did ye say that ye were one o’ the gang, Murdoch?”
Murdoch sighed, passing a hand over his eyes. “Because these are not wicked people, Dougie,” he replied. “They are working to change things for themselves and their families. Keira and Adaira are helping them, and now I am too. I consider it a noble cause.”
Dougie stared at him for a moment, then slowly nodded. “I will see ye have enough tae eat an’ drink, but ye must give me a wee while. Ye have a staunch ally in the cook. She thinks ye are the handsomest man she has ever seen!” He wiggled his eyebrows mischievously, then smiled. “Stay strong, old pal.”
“Just one more thing,” Murdoch said, reaching between the bars to grab his arm. “Take care of Keira, please. She…she is precious to me.” He looked away, embarrassed.
The two men looked at each other for a moment before Dougie nodded. “I will,” he promised. “She and Adaira spend most o’ their time taegether now, an’ I have given Adaira a dagger for her protection. It will no’ surprise ye tae know that Keira already had one.”
“Thank you, my friend,” Murdoch replied. “You never let me down.”
Dougie smiled and turned away. When he had gone, one of the rebels, Gerry McKinlay, came up to Murdoch and looked him steadily in the eyes.
“Are ye one of us?” he asked incredulously.
“I have not always been,” Murdoch admitted, “but since I came to know Mistress McTavish and Lady Adaira, I have been drifting toward you. When I saw the laird last night and realized what he was doing, I wanted to be one of you, then when Keira was being threatened, I knew I had no choice.”
“Ye care for her, then?” Alastair Grimes asked, frowning. “For we wilnae tolerate anybody that takes against our Keira. She is a fine woman.”
“I will not disagree with you,” Murdoch said, smiling.
“Are ye in love wi’ her?” Gerry asked curiously, and there was a murmuring of inquiry from around him.
Murdoch felt himself flushing. “I suppose I am,” he admitted.
“Well, a’ I can say is good choice,” Liam Robertson added, chuckling. He thrust out a hand to Murdoch, giving him a gap-toothed smile. “If I wasnae married an’ she would gie an eejit like me the time o’ day, I would marry her mysel’.”
Murdoch laughed, and a moment later all the men had stepped forward to take his hand and hear about his life and his family, and he listened to their stories too, feeling like a part of them at last.
* * *
Presently Dougie came back with three laden trays of food and several flasks of ale in his hands. He opened the cell door and began to distribute the food, which was dived on by the men in the cell and divided out until everyone had their share. While they were comfortably stuffing themselves with bannocks, cheese, fruit, and dried meat, Murdoch asked, “How did you get past the jailers with this lot?” He indicated the foodstuffs and looked at his friend, puzzled.
“Ye have more friends than ye think,” Dougie replied. “Two o’ the guards were happy tae let it in. Ye know big Billy Donnelly? He is the cook’s son, an’ his mother is no’ fond o’ the laird, an’ neither is he. So when I asked her for a few bits an’ pieces for ye to eat, she was overjoyed.
“I told her that she might lose her job if the laird found out, but she said she didnae care since Laird an’ Lady Montrose have offered her a position at Castle Muldstane. They said they had eaten her duck pie an’ say it’s the best they ever tasted. Anyhow, Billy darenae go against his mother’s wishes. She is a bit o’ a dragon! So here ye are.”
He smiled at his friend, watching Murdoch quaffing his ale as though it was the last he would ever taste.
“How is Keira?” Murdoch asked anxiously.
“She is well, but I think she is very worried about ye,” Dougie replied. “Adaira is too.”
“Oh?” Murdoch asked mischievously. “‘Adaira,’ is it? Not ‘milady’?”
Dougie’s fair skin flushed. “Aye,” he whispered.
“How long has it been, Adaira?” Murdoch’s voice was also a whisper.
“Since the first time we saw each other,” Dougie replied, staring into Murdoch’s eyes with a look that said everything. He and Adaira were lovers. Then he raised his voice. “Time to go. I have tae check the night watch now that I am Captain o’ the Guard.” He raised his voice. “I will try to get a message fae Keira tae all o’ ye. I know she is concerned about ye a’, an’ she will help us in any way she can. Look after yerselves, boys, ’til we can get ye all out.”
Dougie strode off down the corridor and disappeared, leaving Murdoch to look after him, smiling. He and Adaira were an ideal match, with only one thing standing in the way of their happiness: Laird Archie McTavish.